1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle having a power supply source aboard which requires recharging, and more specifically to a process and an apparatus to permit the recharging of the power supply source energy aboard the vehicle which vehicle is driven by one or more electric traction motors capable of also being fed by said power supply and an exterior power supply source (via) an energy regulating circuit.
2. Description of Prior Art
For certain transport applications, for example, public transport, the utilization of electric vehicles is foreseen capable of functioning, on the one hand by tapping energy from a fixed feed system (for example, by a third rail or a catenary supplying a monophase or polyphase alternating current or a direct current), and on the other hand, the energy could be supplied by a power source of various types such as thermal, inertial or electro-chemical, etc., aboard the vehicle.
During the energy collecting operation, the regulation of the speed of the vehicle is usually provided by an energy regulating circuit which is more often of the electronic type. This regulating circuit is for example constituted by a controlled rectifier bridge circuit in the case of an alternating current source or a controlled chopper circuit in the case of a direct current source if the traction motor is of the DC type. Other regulating circuits may be utilized, particularly if the type of motor is changed. For example, an electronic inverter will be utilized with a traction motor of the asynchronous type.
For autonomous operation, the various sources of energy utilized aboard the vehicle, and particularly the inertial or electro-chemical sources, require a recharge that can be made on the vehicle during operation where the energy can be collected. This recharge permits a reduction of the size of the power supply source to be carried aboard and further prevents the handling charges necessary for the recharge of a power supply of the fixed post type.
For recharging the power supply carried aboard a vehicle, the obvious solution is to utilize a special charger. The principal inconveniences of this solution are the additional weight of the charger, limited space in the vehicle and the price for this special charger.